Business Beat

The secret to making a small business successful, according to Meat Shack owners Suzy and Jeff Raven, is to provide great service along with a great product. A pretty simple formula, but one many businesses in this “big box” era seem to have forgotten. The meat market and specialty grocery, which just celebrated its second year of business, is a bit of a throwback to an earlier, better time, when quality was king and providing the customer with exactly the right product still mattered.

Area sportsmen will have another choice for equipment, ammo and more come April 1. That’s if Kelly Skarl, owner of the soon-to-open Pro Outfitters, on Lafayette Street, manages to get his recently purchased building ready in time.

Reasonable prices and a variety of colorful fashions await shoppers in the newest clothing store in town. Rainbow, located at 300 S. Greenville West Drive, fills the vacancy left by Fashion Bug in the shopping complex.

It’s clear why Builder’s Glass has for the past 50 years remained one of the area’s most recognized businesses — clear as glass, one might say.
Established in 1963 by Bill Longest, the glass installation, repair and service business is now in its third generation. According to Guy Longest — son of Bill and current owner of the business — his own son, Matt, will likely take over the business somewhere down the road.

If there is one thing constant in Dean Harter’s life, it’s work. His Greenville business, Sage’s Meat Processing, which he runs with his wife, Kim, has him working so often that their oldest daughter has decided to hold her graduation open house at the store to assure he attends the event.

GREENVILLE — A longtime Greenville business will close its doors for the last time Jan. 31. Mid Michigan Cellular, located for the past 10 years at 1712 W. Washington St., and for 11 years before that at the location now occupied by Ray Winnie Auto Sales, simply cannot continue to compete with online sales, [...]